Another MMA star was involved in a brutal bar fight just 2 weeks after a video appeared to show Conor McGregor punch a man in a Dublin pub
- BJ Penn, a former UFC welterweight champion, appears to have been in a brutal bar fight Tuesday, as shown by TMZ footage.
- Penn can be seen punching a man in the head as he mounted him on the floor, while a second video showed the 40-year-old fighter being knocked out after being punched in the face.
- An acquaintance of Penn said the man seen in the footage was "following [Penn] around and trying to bait him into a fight."
- The incident comes two weeks after TMZ footage showed another UFC star Conor McGregor appearing to punch a man in a Dublin pub.
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Another MMA star was involved in a brutal bar fight Tuesday, two weeks after footage from TMZ appeared to show Conor McGregor punching an older man in a Dublin pub.
BJ Penn, the former UFC welterweight champion, was seen on video in a violent brawl at the Lava Shack bar in Pahoa, Hawaii.
TMZ released footage that seems to show the 40-year-old on top of another man, punching him in the side and back of the head.
A second video was then released, which may have occured before the original, and appears to show Penn being dropped to the floor by a strong punch from the same man.
Watch the original video here:
And the second video here:
TMZ report that a close friend of Penn said the fight occured because the topless man seen in the videos was "following [Penn] around and trying to bait him into a fight."
A later statement made by a representative of Penn, from TMZ, reads: "Upon meeting friends for a concert at the Lava Shack, words were exchanged between BJ and the acquaintance. From witness accounts, BJ tried multiple times to diffuse the situation, but was hit repeatedly and knocked to the ground, as seen on the video."
"When he got back up he was disoriented, yet realized how serious the situation and threat was and felt there was a need to defend himself. We are thankful that BJ nor the acquaintance were not seriously injured."
Business Insider contacted the UFC for comment but is yet to receive a reply.
Penn's bar brawl comes two weeks after TMZ released footage of fellow mixed martial artist Conor McGregor appearing to punch an older man in the face at a Dublin pub.
The incident involving McGregor is reported by Irish media to have happened at the Marble Arch pub in Dublin on April 6, however the footage wasn't released until recently.
McGregor has since apologised, saying on ESPN: "In reality it doesn't matter what happened there. I was in the wrong.
"That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it to end the way it did. And although five months ago it was, I tried to make amends, but still, it does not matter. I was in the wrong."